Railway-car underframe



Jan. 15, 1929.

.W. B. GREGG RAILWAY CAR UNDERFRAME Filed Sept. 24, 1925 1&1

1GB 45% A;

[N V EN TOR.

Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,698,948 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BURR GREGG, F HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE GREGG COMPANY, LTD, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

RAILWAY-CAR UNDERFRAME.

Application filed September 24, 1925. Serial No. 58,318.

This invention relates to improvements in under frames for railway cars, and the principal object thereof is to provide a structure of the class described of such form as to permit of a floor being placed at the lowest possible position with respect to the truck bolsters while retaining the maximum depth of side sills.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide an underframe for railway cars having the center portion thereof, over the'tr'uck bolsters, at a greater vertical height from the rail than the bottom edge of the side sills to permit the car body being lowered relative to the trucks without reducing the depth of side sills.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simplified means for securing lower swung car body without decreasing the strength or capacity of the car for service or without increasing the cost thereof.

Other advantages and objects will be disclosed and explained in the following specific ation, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows a front view of a cross bolster, the side and center sills of the car frame being in section.

Fig. 2 shows a bottom plan view of the complete under frame; the drawing being on a smaller scale than that shown in Figure 1.

Fig. 3 shows another form of the invention in which wood is the chief structural material.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings, an under frame having four longitudinal sills is constructed as follows: side sills 11 and 12 of any desired or standard depth are connected at their extremities by the end sills 13 and 14, and the structure is further reinforced by center sills 17 and 18 located with their upper surface in the same plane as the top surfaces of the side sills 11 and 12 producing a fiat surface on which to lay the floor of the car but having less depth than the side sills at the bolsters to permit a lower hung car body relative to the truck bolster. Cross bolsters and 16 are built into the underframe at suitable locations. Cross spacers as at 24'may be used if desired. The whole structure is fastened together by means of rivets and angle clips, gusset plates and the like. The cross bolsters are furthermore reinforced by plates 19 and 20, and pivotal bearing members as shown at 23 to rest upon the truck bolsters are attached to the cross bolsters below the plates shown. A central spacer 24 spaces the center sills 17 and 18 and strengthens the bolsters 15 and 16 over the bearing members 23. The cross bolsters also carry below the reinforcing plates the side bearings 25 and 26, located generally near the ends of the plates 19 and 20 in position to cooperate with corresponding bearings on the trucks. The bottom plates of the bolsters 15 and 16, which may be of pressed 3 steel, or other suitable material are curved downwardly at 21, 22, 28 and 29 at a point outside the truck frame to make the outer ends of the bolsters 15 and 16 of the same depth as the side sills l1 and 12 and the bolsters are securely connected to the side and center sills and to plates 19 and 20, generally by means of rivets suchas indicated at 31 and 32. It is to be noted that the side and center sills are continuous from end to end of the car frame and that the bolster construction is such as to attain the end desired without sacrificing the strength or increasingthe cost of the car frame.

Referringto Figure 3 of the drawings; another form of the invention is shown in which side and center sills and the main cross members are preferably of wood. In this form of construction camber rods as shown at 33 serve to reinforce the cross member 34. Sills 353637 and 38 are the. equivalents to those shown at 11 and 12, 17 and 18 in Figure 2 of the drawings. The member 39 is similar to that shown at 23 with the exception that it is of less depth and the plate 40 is similar to that shown at 19 of Figure 2. In this construction thesills 35 and 36 are secured to the cross bolster shown at 34 by means of the bolts 41 and 42, and the center sills are secured thereto by the bolts 43 and 44 with intervening plates, 45 and 46. The camber rod 33 is secured by the nuts 47 and 43 bearing on the plates 49 and 50.

Only one center Slll may be used if preferred or additional longitudinal sills may be used between the center sills and side sills, and other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

It will be seen that in both the forms shown, the top, or floor level is the same at both sides and center, and that in both cases the bottoms of the side sills are in a very low position with respect to the central bearing members, thus providing floor support at a level Patent, is as follows:

1. In a railway car of the class described, a rectangular frame having side and end sills, two cross bolsters and a center sill, all with tops level, the side and center sills being continuous from end to end of the car frame, and the bottoms of the side sills, at the bolster being on a lower level than the bottoms of the center sills at the bolster, the bottoms of the cross bolsters at point of attachment to center sills being higher than at the point of attachment to side sills, and a center bearing sup ported above the bottom of the side sills.

2. In an all metal car frame of the double truck type, a pair of side sills, a center sill, all of said sills being continuous I for the length of the car frame, and each sill being the same depth throughout its length, the tops of the sills being in the same horizontal plane, the side sills being deeper than the center sills, and cross bolsters tapering from the full depth of the side sills inwardly and upwardly toward the center sills, so that the lowest portion of the bolster on the center sills shall. not extend below the bottom of the side sills, with the exception of the center bearing.

3. In an all metal car frame, a pair of side sills, a center sill, all the sills being continuous for the length of the car frame, the tops of all the sills being even with the bottom of a level floor, the side sills being deeper than the center sills, and cross bolsters of the diaphragm type, tapering from the full depth of the side sills, inwardly and upwardly toward the center sills, and a cover plate and center bearing supported below the center of the bolster and above the lower edge of the side sills. r

4-. In a railway car frame of the type described, a pair of side sills, a center sill, cont-inuous for the length of the car frame and each sill of the same depth throughout its length, the tops of the sills being in the same horizontal plane, the side sills being deeper than the center sills, cross bolsters and side bearings carried thereby, said cross bolsters tapering inwardly and upwardly between the side sills and the side bearings, and supporting the center bearing above the bottom of the side sills.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature. 7

WILLIAM BURR GREGG. 

